Nematandani blames media

South Africa

Tuesday 30 April 2013 - 4:04pm

Cape Town, April 30 - Safa's top brass admits that the situation is dire but insists the football body is not bankrupt or in crisis. It claims the media is being used in a political campaign to influence the upcoming election of a new executive.
Video: eNCA

South African Football Association president Kirsten Nematandani accused the media of having a hidden agenda. He said the football association is not in a crisis.
Photo: AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN

PARLIAMENT - South African Football Association (Safa) president Kirsten Nematandani blames the media for having a hidden agenda.

Nematandani was briefing parliament’s sport committee today when he said Safa is not in crisis despite continued media reports about the football association being in a dire state.

Media reports over the weekend alleged that Safa is in crisis due to mismanagement and reckless spending.

But Safa’s top brass said the media is being used in a political campaign meant to influence the upcoming election of a new executive.

“There is no crisis in this organisation of yours. One thing I’ve learnt about us as a country, we stop thinking about reading newspapers. Of course they have their own mission to sell newspapers,” said Nemantandani.

Safa has been criticised for spending R20-million of the World Cup Legacy Trust Fund on 26 cars from its sponsor Mercedes-Benz.

The fund is meant to be ring-fenced for development purposes only.

But Safa said the luxury cars qualify as development because members of the national executive committee need to travel across provinces to promote youth sports.